Washington: For diabetics, blood pressure and cholesterol are the two key factors that could increase the risk of heart disease and stroke, says a new study involving more than 26,000 people suffering from blood sugar.

"People with diabetes are often focused on controlling their blood sugar, but our study found that controlling blood pressure and cholesterol is even more important in preventing heart disease," said Greg Nichols, senior investigator and study author from the Kaiser Permanente Center for Health Research in the US.

"This doesn't mean that people with diabetes should ignore their blood sugar levels. They should still get regular tests to measure and control their blood glucose, but it's also important to pay attention to other factors that increase the risk for cardiovascular disease," reported the Journal of General Internal Medicine, quoting Nichols' study.

Adults with diabetes are two to four times more likely than non-diabetics to have cardiovascular disease, and most people with diabetes will die from a heart attack or stroke, according to the US Department of Health and Human Services.

There is abundant evidence that controlling the ABCs-A1C (an average measure of blood sugar), blood pressure and cholesterol-can reduce the risk, but until now it has been unclear which of these factors is most important, according to a Kaiser Permanente statement.